Constructional toy building elements



May 25, 1948. o. P. ERHARDT CONSTRUCTIONAL TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS Filedsept'. 2o, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 25, 1948. o. P. ERHARDT 2,442,122

l COSTRUCTIONAL TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS Filed Sept. 20, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR,

Armi/VEA Patented May 25, 1948 CNSTRUCTIONAL TOY BUILDING ELEMENTS OscarP. Erhardt, New Haven, Conn., assigner to The A. C. Gilbert Company, NewHaven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application September 20, 1945,Serial No. 617,547

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to constructional toy building elementsparticularly of the piling variety adapted for use with toy buildingblocks of the type disclosed in my copending application, Serial No.519,433, iled January 24, 1944.

An object of the present improvements is to provide constructional toyparts that can be piled in various chosen arrangements to resemblerealistically in miniature the tile roof of real building structures.

A further object is to make use of elongated laterally overlapping barsarranged in step formation to simulate roofing tiles in such arrangementthat one bar overhangs another in a way to cause a shadowed nook orangular gap beneath the overhanging edge of each bar.

Another object is to provide means for orienting the tile simulatingbars in parallel and overlapping relation when they are piled and forresisting accidental lateral displacement of the piled bars.

A still further object is to provide a ridgepole tile simulating bar orbars that may be used as a foundation on which to pile suitableadditional toy blocks representative of a brick or stone chimney.

These and other objects of the invention will become clear in thefollowingdescription of illustrative toy building elements embodying asatisfactory form of the invention which description has reference tothe accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the upper portion of a toy housestructure built by piling toy roof tile elements on the bare toybuilding walls shown in Figs. 6 and 7 in accordance with the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 shows on an enlarged scale a fragmentary transversecross-sectional view of the imitative tile roof forming bars of Fig. 1piled in dowel oriented relationship to the wall forming blocks of Figs.1 and 7.

Fig. 3 shows a modified shape and arrangement of the roof forming barsat the ridge pole suited to the wall forming blocks of Fig. 6.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective View of the ridge pole roof bar ofFigs. l and 2 illustrative of the many dowel oriented relationships inwhich any roof bar can be lodged on the seating surface of any wallblock.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the dowel oriented roof barsand wall blocks of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the bare tops of walls formed by blockspiled as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 7 is a corresponding view of the stepped wall tops formed by blockspiled as in Figs. 3 and 5. In Fig. 1 the toy building structureindicated as a whole by IIJ includes two pairs of upstanding imitativehouse walls II of which one pair may be referred to as end walls whichare spaced apart and have correspondingly stepped tops presentingcorresponding seats or seating surfaces IZ at vertically spaced levelsjoined by corresponding risers or riser surfaces I4 extending verticallybetween the seats. The space between end walls I'l is spanned byparallel tile imitative roof bars I5 in the shape of substantiallytriangular prisms forming the slopes of the roof and in Figs 3 and 5also used as the toy tile bars occupying the ridge pole position in theroof. In Figs. 1 and 2, however, a modiiied form of tile imitative roofbar I6 having oppositely pitched top faces 2| is used in the ridge poleposition.

According to this invention the horizontal bottom face of each of theroof bars I5 rests near each end of the bar at a common level oncompanion seats or seating surfaces I2 of the stepped tops of the spacedtoy building walls II. Each bar has an edge facing and flanking theriser I4 that extends upward from the seat I2 on which the bar rests.The roof bars I 5 are caused realistically to resemble actual roof tilesby having their seated horizontal bottom faces wider than the seats I2of the walls on which they rest whereby the marginal portion of one barat its relatively thin edge overhangs the seat I2 so that each baroverlaps both the wall seat on which it rests and also the relativelythick edge I8 of the next lower adjacent bar and moreover is verticallyseparated therefrom by an angular space in the nature of an elongatedshadowed nook lending to the toy roof an eiective appearance ofthickness and structural complexity that would not otherwise result.

The thick edge I8 of the bar is preferably vertically thinner than theheight of the riser which it abuts.

Each of roof bars I5 tapers in vertical thickness from its relativelythick edge I8 to its relatively thin edge I'I at such angle that whenthe bar is based on a horizontal plane the top face 2210i the bar slantsdownward away from the bottom face of the next higher bar toward itsthin overhanging 4edge I'I with preferably less pitch than the overallor general slant of the roof as a whole. This creates a steppedappearance to the roof surface which is characteristic of the visualeffect of real tile roofs.

Specifically though notvnecessarily the walls vI'I may be composed ofloosely piled toy building blocks I9 simulating in miniature size actualbuilding bricks or artificial cut stone blocks.

These toy blocks I9 have structural features orienting them in a way tomake them resistive to misalignment and accidental displacement whenpiled one upon another unskillfully as by a child. 'I'he structuralfeatures of bricks i9 are described and claimed in detail in mycopending application hereinbefore referred to. It will sufce here tonote with particular-reference to Figs.-

6 and '7 that in some cases the wall forming comprising in combinationwith spaced-apart .upright toy building walls having stepped tops bricksI9 may be piled so as to terminate 'at the ridgepole position in asingle `full size brick I9 as in Figs. 3, and 6, whereas in othercases.v

the bricks may be piled so that a half length brick may be at theridgepole position as in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 7. Y Y The toy brickimitative blocks contemplated for use with the tile roof simulatingelements'of the present improvements will preferably be configured topresen-t rounded dowel bosses 2S which project from recessed lpar-relportions of the block faces to a greater extent than does the borderridge 243 of the block. In the opposite panel portion of a given brickthere are corresponding dowel sockets v2l spaced to accord with thespacing of bosses -26 and adapted to re- -ceivethe latter'bosses of amating brick with a fairly snug lateral nt. The configuration of bossand socket is such as to leaveclearance spaces between the tips of thebosses and the bottomof .the sockets thus insuring ythat the planarridges i215 of vmating bricks will mutually contact ina firm manner'an-d prevent wobbling of the piled- `Specially shaped adaptor blocks 33underlie the y lchimney forming blocks 32 and are featured by ahorizontal top face 34 stably supporting the superimposed chimneystructure and by a bottorn face 35 slantin-g in conformity with the topVinclined faces 2l 'of the cap ba-r IS and resting thereon. In Fig. 2these same adaptor blocks `33 are shown to resten the top faces of theroof bars 16.

The addition to theconstructional toy setvdisclosed in my hereinbeforementioned copending patent application of tile roof simulating barsshaped and related as herein disclosed greatly enhances the number andrealism ofV models that can be built thus lending zest-in creative playwith architectural constructions 'rior young model builders. It enablespiled block structures to reproduce more faithfully the outstandingappearance most characteristic of buildings provided with a tile roof,such as residences, roadside food stands, garages, cabins, nre houses,churches and public buildings. Since the dowel and' socket orientingengagement of the roofV :bars and their supporting wall blocksautomatically brings the building elements into Vcorrect Y. relationshipand stabilizes them against facci- Vdental displacement from properposition, no

skill in positioning of the blocks and bars but only imagination vintheir selection to build 1the desired structures is lrequired ofthechildfand there kresults uniform excellence and trueftodefined byYhorizontal seats at vertically spaced levels alternating withrisersextending vertically between said seats, toy roof bars each hav-Ying a horizontal bottom face resting on and substantially lwider thancompanion seats at a common level on respectively spaced walls, each barfurther having an edge facing a riser that eX- tends upward from theseat on which said bar rests and having Van opposite edge overhangingAthe riser that extends downward 'from 4said seat, whereby a marginalportion of said bottom'face of the oar overlaps both said seat andthenext lower bar of the toy rooie. Y v

2. In a constructional toy, pilabl'e elements adapted to simulateti-leroof in a top building,

comprising in combination with spaced-.apart up- Y right toy buildingwalls having stepped `tops defined by horizontal seats at vertically:spaced levels each of said seats having upstanding dovrel projectionsand alternating with risers 4extending vertically between'said seats,toy roof 'bars each having a horizontal bottom faceresting on andsubstantially wider than the companion seats on respectively spaced-wa-lls on which the bar rests, each bar furtherhavingV an edge facingthe 'risers that extends upward from said companion seats and .having`an opposite edge overhangin'g theV risers that extends downward fromsaid 'companion seats, whereby a marginal portion of said bottom face ofthe bar overlaps the said seats'fand also thenext lower bar of the toyroof, Vsaid bote tom faceof the bar having a recess .spacedfrom Y Y bothof said edges ofthe barand receptive to a plurality of'said dowelVprojections with a bar orienting t.

8. In a constructional toy, pilablev elements adapted to simulate tileYroof ina 'toy building comprising in combination with spaced-'apartupright toy building walls having stepped tops dened by horizontal seatsat vertically spaced levels each of said seats having upstanding d'owelprojections and alternating with risers extending verticallyV betweensaid seats, toy roof bars each having a horizontalbottom face resting onand substantially wider than `the companion seats on respectively spacedwalls on which the bar lrests, each bar further having an edge facingthe risers that extend upward from said companion seats and havinganropposite edge overhang'ing the longitudinally of the' bar spaced fromboth of said edges of the bar'and receptive to a plurality 'of saiddowel projections with 'a bar orienting it.

Il. Ina construction'alY toy, pilable elements adapted to simulate tileroof in aftoy 'building comprising in Vcombination with spaced-apartupright toy building walls having stepped `tops dened 'by horizontalseats at vertically spaced levels alternating with risersextending'vertically f s between said seats, toy roof Vbars each havingar that is Y1mm.'

horizontal bottom face resting on and substantially wider than companionseats at a common level on respectively spaced walls, each bar furtherhaving an edge facing a riser that extends upward from the seat on whichsaid bar rests and :having an opposite edge overhanging the riser thatextends downward from said seat whereby a marginal portion of saidbottom face of the bar overlaps both said seat and the next lower bar ofthe toy roof, and each bar having a top face that slants downward awayfrom said bottom face of the next higher bar thereby to produce anangular gap lbetween overlapping marginal portions of adjacent bars.

5. In a constructional toy, elements pilable to simulate a tile roofcomprising in combination with spaced-apart upright toy building wallshaving stepped tops defined by horizontal seating surfaces andintervening vertical riser surfaces, toy roof forming parallel barshorizontally wider than said seating surfaces and vertically thinnerthan the height of said riser surfaces spanning the space between saidend walls and resting jointly on said seating surfaces of thespaced-apart Walls in edgewise flanking relation to said riser surfaces,whereby an edge of one bar overhangs said seating surface on which itrests and thereby overlaps and is spaced above the next lower bar in amanner to leave a shadowed elongated nook between overlapping portionsof adjacent bars.

6. In a constructional toy, elements pilable to simulate a tile roofcomprising in combination with space-apart upright toy building wallshaving stepped tops defined by horizontal seating surfaces andintervening vertical riser surfaces, toy roof forming prismatic shapedparallel bars each having a sloping top surface, said bars beinghorizontally Wider than said seating surfaces and vertically thinnerthan the height of said riser surfaces spanning the space between saidend Walls and resting jointly on said seating surfaces of thespaced-apart Walls in edgewise flanking relation to said riser surfaces,whereby an edge of one bar overhangs said seating surface on which itrests and thereby overlaps and is spaced above said sloping top surfaceof the next lower bar in a mannerto leave a shadowed elongated nookbetween overlapping portions of adjacent bars.

7. In a constructional toy, elements pilable to simulate a tile roofcomprising in combination with spaced-apart upright toy building wallshaving stepped tops defined by horizontal seating surfaces andintervening vertical riser surfaces, toy roof forming prismatic shapedparallel bars each having a triangular profile and a sloping topsurface, said bars being horizontally wider than said seating surfacesand vertically thinner than the height of said riser surfaces andspanning the space between said end walls and resting jointly on saidseating surfaces ofV the spaced-apart walls in edgewise flankingrelation to said riser surfaces, whereby an edge of one bar overhangssaid seating surface on which it rests and thereby overlaps and isspaced above said sloping top surface of the next lower bar in a mannerto leave a shadowed elongated nook between overlapping portions ofadjacent bars.

OSCAR P. ERHARDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,009,468 Burrowes Nov. 2l, 19112,119,921 Levy June 7, 1938 2,319,914 Blanding May 25, 1943 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 365,369 Great Britain Jan. 2l, 1932

